I guess I collect differently than you, Garm. Unless the book is valuable or a different edition, it seems superfluous to have 10 or more copies of the exact same thing, except perhaps if you are a book seller. Having 10+ copies of various editions of The Silmarillion makes sense, but ten of the first British edition to me seems like a waste of space. That is what I was trying to get at.

How many copies of the first British edition Silmarillion do you have, Garm?

I guess it depends on what you mean by 'the exact same thing'. I look at that line of blue jackets and see (a) copies with the Allen & Unwin spine imprint, (b) a copy of the Book Club Associates edition with its BCA device on the spine, and (c) a copy of the thin Taiwan edition at far right; and at the same time, I suppose that most, maybe all, of the A&U copies represent variants - domestic and export, cloth or paper over boards, etc. Christina and I have about as many of these ourselves, and many more of the first American edition, where there's even more variation of printing and binding. Ours is a 'bibliographical' collection, which naturally isn't for everyone and does indeed take up shelf space.

Well, when I said I had more copies, I meant overall; I don't have ten A&U ists.

But all hyperbole aside, I can see around 15 copies of Silm of all varieties, and I know I've got one extra US 1st and another two or three UK 1sts, in boxes somewhere. Let's see:

Nasmith de luxe signed CT and Ted.

Two more Nasmiths, both signed as they were published.

HC de luxe (half leather)ditto (paper)

Easton Press

Folio (foil)

Folio (half leather)

Guild book club ed. (red)ditto (green)

Small book club ed.

US 1st (with CT's booklet on the making of the book)

Harper Collins ed (John Howe cover, red border)ditto (gold border)

Methuen full leather, with bookplate signed by CT.

My half dozen or so Allen and Unwin 1sts include variants of printer (Jarrold, Clowes, and Unwin Bros) and also of cover material, and the colour of the top edge stain.

I don't think of any of my books as a waste of space, and I'm not a dealer. Why have so many? I can't even claim Wayn'e (perfectly legit.) excuse - I'm not a bibliographer. But an interest in Tolkien bibliography is one of the mainstays of my interest in Tolkien in general, so these things (ie books) just sort of sneaked up on me.